...I thought that title would arouse your interest

A friend's Godson is a lovely young chap from a very wealthy family in Herrliberg. His parents made their own money and they're fine people. Everytime I meet this lad I wonder what he's learning at school or, regretably, at home.

He has no idea about the World beyond his privileged cocoon. The environment; how the other half lives; philosophy; gender-issues; what a scraped knee looks like; what left-overs are; how the tram ticket-machine works / what a tram is actually for and so on and so on...

The boy will soon be thirteen and is no dummy. He's very likeable but - as occassional care giver - I'm beginning to cringe at his lack of awareness of the World around him.

Surely the best fed, schooled, immunised, pampered, healthy and wealthy kids on the planet should be more conscious?

I'm sensitive to not preaching against the lifestyle his parents provide for him nor flying a Hippy Flag, but I would like to find a book or multimedia gift which would broaden his intelligent but unchallenged mind.

Any ideas? English or German language would be fine.

A) A Thomas Salter chemistry set
B) An Interrail ticket
C) A night on Langstrasse
D) Two nights on Langstrasse
E) A whisky still
F) A subscription to National Geographic
G) A Frank Zappa CD
H) Some erotic playing cards
I) Some subversive literature
J) A cheap plane ticket to somewhere requiring injections

dave

A crossbow

Thinking back...

a catapult
a packet of Fun-Snaps (tiny bangers)
a tub of slime
a survival kit with matches in a pen refill
a Boys adventure book

This is a bit contrived, and worryingly has a crossbow on the home page...

dave

A subscription to National Geographic or maybe sponsor an orphan in his name. There are many worthy foundations, but we give ours to the mercy centre in Bangkok (you can google them). i've been there many times and volunteered for almost 3 years in their AIDS hospice. I think you can even sponsor retrovirals for a deserving case. Rest assured the money does go to the deserving. Could be food for thought for him

A box of matches, Calcium carbide, a long plastic tube and a sawn-off deodorant spray to fit on one of said tube's endings can ensure cheap hours of fun on end.

I am David - by Anne Holm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_David

Read it in school (4th class, age 10), maybe he's a little old for it...

I just gave a grumpy teenager Licence to Cook as a birthday present. He's already come out of his cocoon a couple of times and wandered into the kitchen to cook for his parents...

The Dangerous Book For Boys is really good. It would give him lots of ides for getting up to mischief as well as lots of interesting facts.

I had a couple of school friends that were like this, very nice folk, but completely detached from reality.

A weekend on a farm was always a wonderful eye opener ..

"whats that ???" pointing to our slurry tank "Shite" says Mr P senior, "Shite?" asks Little Lord Fauntelroy, "Aye from coos erses" .................... "what do you keep it for?"

Third visit, Jason was mucking out deep litter calf pens & romping through mud up to his eyes.

Send him to a farm visit or Wald Club. Life as it really is.

http://www.ciao.co.uk/The_Curious_In...Review_5425383

I thought this book was fantastic, it was sent to me by my 14 year old niece.

This is a great thread. Can we not rename it into "presents for grumpy teenagers"? I've got two girls, 17 and 12 years and two boys 18 and 14 years to get presents for (can you still call them girls and boys?). And, apart from cash, which we all know is what they really want, I'm quite stumped for ideas...

I second that, brilliant book !

To challenge his mind as you say, what about any books from the shortlist for the Royal Society for Science - Books Prize:
http://prizewinninggifts.com/books/science.shtml

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt?

Uncle Max, you're a very thoughtful and concerned 'occasional caregiver'.
I believe he will grow into his own consciousness in his own time.

How about an outing to a disabled children's home, or an orphanage?

Here are some books that might be fun (yet eye-opening) for him:

"Holes" by Louis Sachar
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" by Mark Haddon
"How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff

These are 'younger' but a lot of fun:
"Dirty Bertie - Fleas!" by David Roberts & Alan MacDonald
"The Witch's Tears" by Jenny Nimmo

Does the kid have a computer and/or the internets?

A trip to SA. It would fall in the right price class & also double up as a view on how the other half lives.

For books I and my girls are fans of Measle Stubbs http://www.ianogilvy.com/measle.htm


As for the teenies,dear Crumbs, i can only talk for female teenies

- vouchers to get their nails or hair done
- if you have a well filled wallet,there's a craze to have your smile
embellished with a small diamond at the dentist, a voucher for that
- tickets to a pop concert
- treat girls and mum to a weekend or day in a spa or similar
instituion whilst u take the boys for a boys day out and go go-carting or
so with them
- my gals don't mind getting vouchers from clothes stores,afer all they can never have enough clothes and shoes when they are teenagers so C&A,H&M,Tally Weill,New Yorker,ORSAY and such are a good bet that they will like it and for other embellishements CLAIRE'S is a good bet too.

well gott a go and pu the fire on under my cauldron to feed my teenagers but will think of more ideas

The modern equivalent of books like these?

Cry the Beloved Country - Alan Paton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cry,_the_beloved_country

Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Things_Fall_Apart